Dealers and exaggerated treble

I've gone to two audio shows in the last 2 years (AXPONA, Tampa) and I've been surprised at the overall quality of the sound. I think they might try harder because you've got manufacturer reps on site who spend time tweaking and refining their setups. If someone is interested in buying speakers I recommend attending a major show. Not only can you likely hear the speakers you have in mind, you can also year many others that have a range of qualities. Plus you can hear several expensive state of the art systems to get an idea of what $250,000+ buys.

Many years ago I was comparing a couple different speakers at a dealer and I immediately noticed that one pair was out of phase. I pointed this out and the salesman gave me the stink eye and walked out of the room. Today I'm very interested to read that I'm not the only one who's noticed out of phase speakers in a dealer's showroom.

Erik: it's not just the dealers.  Perhaps it's not even primarily the dealers.  It's the makers.  A healthy percentage of new speakers today are voiced hotter/brighter than many of yesteryear.  The Thiels were always that way, so it's not exclusively a recent trend, just one that is more pervasive these days (I speak as a former owner of 3.6).  Whether this is closer to a quasi-objective norm of accuracy or not, is a matter of debate.  To you, me and others what is not up for debate is that they are not pleasant to listen to, especially for extended periods of time.

I stopped by my local shop some months ago to give a listen to the new Paradigm Persona flagships. I was met and struck with a strident and offensive top end. Being driven with a tube integrated this should not have been an issue. The issue as I found out several weeks later, was the extended break in period for these speakers which have a beryllium tweets. My Second listen was better but still grating. The third listen was almost 6 weeks after my first. They were adequately broken in. I imagine a lot of tweets made of beryllium have this issue. 

In terms of Thiel speakers, I love their imaging and time coherent approach top speaker design, but yeah the top end can be harsh. I think the metal dome tweets could have been better rendered./designed.  

The issue as I found out several weeks later, was the extended break in period for these speakers which have a beryllium tweets

you sure it wasn't the mains cable? That can make the sound pretty bright. 

8th note 1+    I think it is nice to see the extent of the market and at least be able to have a good look at the equipment particularly speakers to get an idea of how well they are built even if show conditions do not allow you to hear the equipment at its best. 
The best dealers have multiple showrooms set up to optimize certain equipment. Serious listening is always by appointment and it always helps if you drive up in a Porsche. A good shop owner will not try to sell anything but just answer questions and allow you to listen. This approach is usually limited to the best equipment. Once you get down to mid fi you will get more of the standard approach and the shop owner's assistant. My own motto is never let anybody sell you anything. Know what you want and evaluate equipment yourself in terms of sound and build quality.